features archive

Just weeks after the press revealed that the U.S. government was secretly leasing a Gulfstream jet from a little known Massachusetts company for such a purpose, the company has sold the plane. The Boston Globe reports Premier Executive Transport Services sold the jet to an Oregon company called Bayard Foreign Marketing two days after an article about the jet appeared in the Sunday Times of London. Almost nothing is known about either company.

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there are stunning developments opening up in the Ohio Re-Count currently underway. This is a live report coming to you from Seneca County, Ohio from your intrepid Indy Media Journalist. There are a total of 10 people from Minnesota that we know of here in Ohio, fighting for the principle of democracy. This includes Eli Anthony and Mark Halverson from Minneapolis, Kurt, a lawyer from the twin cities, Burt from St Paul and myself. This is the story of two of the observers, Levi Anthony and myself. The below are the facts and experiences as best as we understand them.

We recieved the call Friday that a number of Republican attempts to stop the re-count had failed and so the recount was on.

One of our bloggers sent in this impassioned plea for help from Gary Polvinale, in Sandusky, Ohio. Gary describes how hard people in Ohio are working to make sure that every vote gets counted, and why he's looking for you to write to the media and demand that they start reporting on the growing list of irregularities being uncovered as the recount moves ahead.
Senator Kerry's and Senator Edwards' state counsel for Ohio has issued a letter to Ohio Republican Secretary of State and Bush-Cheney '04 chair Kenneth Blackwell demanding an official investigation into voting machine tampering in Hocking County, RAW STORY has learned. The letter, which was sent Wednesday, also asks that Blackwell require hand counts in any county where machines have been compromised, or have an independent expert inspect the machines. Hocking County elections official Sherole Eaton alleged that a Triad Election Systems representative disabled a machine and tried to plant unverified information into the recount at the House Judiciary Committee's election hearing Monday.

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Just wanted to point out the difference between the same old, same old election thefts of the past, and the new and improved election theft of the present - worker by worker, machine by machine, precinct by precinct, county by county
vs
one line of code = millions . . . = the entire state

It's an exponentially easier task to do with exponentially less liklihood of ever getting caught at it, regardless of who is at the helm....

I really don't think Alexander Cockburn has put a lot of time into thinking about this. But you can do better. You can look into it, feel it, and see if electronic vote fraud capability really means nothing in comparison to the history of election fraud. This isn't about protecting or saving the Democraps - for me and many other Greens, regardless of Cobb's his crowd's purpose - this is about exposing the awful potential of e-voting fraud.

The statistical studies already show it happened.

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The day Bush is re-inaugurated will be a sore day in all of our hearts. The domination of corporate globalism has reached its greatest triumph, establishing a throne for the greatest Politico Fool of the Moment who will bow and caper to their interests. Tens of thousands will protest in DC, as they did in 2001, but this time they have seen the evil that this man is capable of being held responsible for. As they have done at WTO, IMF and World Bank protests, as they did in Miami and New York this year, riot police will systematically bait, disorient and brutalize those who dare to stand up for their first amendment rights in the Rome of the 20th century Ceasar's empire. We can't all walk the long road to Rome, but we can get out in the streets at Home, and establish our independence from the corruption that insinuates the political process on the Far Coast. We can carry Bush in effigy to the sacrificial flames of Hell, where he will burn for all of eternity. At the end of the day, when the light begins to fail, we will beat back the darkness and welcome every citizen in the land to join us for impassioned declarations of our autonomy, as citizens of Oregon or Cascadia, or wherever you live in your heart. Where it will all end, no one can really know.

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As winter grows near, the green herbs and leafy vines that once covered the bare earth in my garden are dying back to the roots. The ground is more visible now, what was once hidden is naked and exposed. My secret is no longer so safe. I'm just going to be honest about this: there's a colony of rats living in my garden. You can see them now, scurrying on trails cut into the mud, leaping down the mouths of burrows that gape from every corner, no longer hidden beneath the leaves.

Oh, I knew they were there, all right. They've lived there for several years now. I used to watch them through a telescope from my upstairs bedroom, before I realized I could watch them from much closer if I wanted to. I talk to them at night when I wander around the garden. And yes, I even feed them sometimes. They built elaborate tunnels snaking under the tomato patch, through the squash, and in and out of the chicken hut. Every night after the chickens go to bed, the rats tunnel into their coop and gather up the leftover grain. Some are as small as my fist, others are as big as my foot, and none seems to mind my presence. They know who tends the garden and where the grain comes from.

[ Other stories from Catwoman ]

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I do not appreciate the passage of the new "Sit Lie" Ordinance and wrote a letter to Mr. Erik Sten voicing my disapproval and my reasons for it.

Well, Mr. Sten, I can't believe I thought you were different. But I hear on KBOO this morning that you and all the other city council members passed Ms. Katz' "emergency" measure and took a stand against the homeless again today.

I understand that you, because you work downtown, have to politely deny panhandlers every day, and I know how this must make you feel. I too had to turn down the "spare change?" question multiple times a day for years. It makes you feel a wee bit guilty, a wee bit used, a wee bit angry, a wee bit disgusted... But it's wrong to tell these people they can't do that, and it's wrong to tell people they can't hang out in a public right-of-way - even if it is all day in the same spot. These people do not block the sidewalks. They do not even prevent people in wheelchairs from getting around. They also do not prevent access to businesses. I've been downtown. No one has any trouble getting around.

BahHumBug on the enemies of the People.

Boycott Portland Business Alliance Department Stores! Tomorrow at noon [Friday, Dec. 17), I [Alan Graf] am planning to stand (and move about so as not to be in violation of the ordinance) in front of Meier and Franks with a sign that says "Meier and Franks is Anti-Christmas" and explain to interested pedestrians that as a member of the Portland Business Alliance they supported the passage of the new sit-lie ordinance which criminalizes sitting, kneeling, standing in one place or congregating with more than three people most places in downtown Portland. Wow!! [ read the full letter... ]



Read the ordinance posted at the City of Portland website. The fine print could read that if you wear a business suit, they won't touch you. So much for the "Christmas spirit" of reaching out to the poor and downtrodden. I deem this ordinance "THE SCROOGE ANTI-CHRISTMAS ACT." And I get to do that even though I am jewish. Why? Because Jesus was a hippy and jewish besides. Radical Cheerleaders--Care to join me??? [ 14A.50.030 Obstructions as Nuisances | Ordinance 178958 | hippielawyer.com | NorthWest Constitutional Rights Center ]

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Dec 12: I took a trip to Tulkarm, in the northwestern corner of the West Bank to see the effects of the occupation on the villages in that area. Tulkarm is located close to the Green Line, the 1967 boundary between the Palestinian territories and the state of Israel, and has been incredibly adversely affected by the building of the wall. The path of the wall, as I have mentioned many times, does not follow the Green Line, but zig-zags over the land, sometimes veering kilometers away from the Green Line, cutting off villages, and annexing people's land.

Dec 14.: We took a tour of led by a few Tulkarm activists and the School Health Officer, an articulate and well dressed young woman, of the poorest schools in the area. We brought lice shampoo from a Tulkarm organization for distribution in the schools. The first school we visited had 320 students from 1st to 3rd grades in 9 classrooms. The school was so overcrowded that some classrooms had as many as 46 students in them. The students sat two to a desk, with desks lined up in rows and along the walls. The school had no central heating, and therefore is very cold and damp in the winter, forcing the children to wear their coats inside the classroom. Many children come from very poor families, since many of their fathers are out of work, or have been killed or injured in the intifada. Taking these conditions into account, I am always impressed by how highly Palestine as a society values education, and how many students go on to receive a higher education.

[ Sami in Palestine: All Updates ]

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The lawyers for Green presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik, along with Kerry-Edwards 2004 have added election tampering to a civil suit filed against the state of Ohio over problems with the state's recount, RAW STORY has learned.

The suit, detailed here, alleges that a manufacturer of voting machines, Triad Election Systems, which serves 43 counties in the state, is tampering with the recount. It is unclear exactly what recourse the plaintiffs' seek; the filing adds on to an original suit to have the recount take place before Ohio electors meet, which failed in the courts. Green Party spokesman Blair Bobier did not respond to immediate calls for comment.

related: [ Conyers: "Maintenance" violates state and federal laws | Ohio's election laws need fixing | Ohio hand recount suspended after exposing tabulator malfunction | Conyers? letter to FBI in response to allegations of Triad tampering ]

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Co-op co-founder Celia Santiz Ruiz will speak how indigenous women have responded to economic impacts of free trade, militarization and crushing poverty that has hit the Mexican countryside following the implementation of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Indigenous women in Chiapas suffer from a severe lack of access to primary education and economic opportunities. Chiapas rates dead last among the Mexican states in women's illiteracy, more than doubling the national average (28.9% Chiapas vs. 11.3% nationally). In indigenous communities, the number is closer to 60%. Traditional back-strap loom weaving is often the only profitable skill that Chiapaneca women wield.

Weaving cooperatives give women the chance to market their work at fairer prices than they would receive if selling individually. Co-ops like Jolom Mayaetik also offer women opportunities like access to education, comraderie, and space for protesting social and economic injustice.

The presentation includes a slideshow, Q&A, and beautiful cooperative-made weavings for viewing and sale! Free and open to the public.

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November 17, 2004 will be remembered as another sad day for the Earth Liberation front and the radical activist community. On trial for the ELF action of torching SUVs in Southern California, William 'Billy' Cottrell took the witness stand in his defense.

Accused of more than $2.3 million dollars of property damage, I can imagine the fear Billy felt facing decades in prison. Many activists, past and present, remember that feeling all too well. For some it was our finest moment, if also most painful, as we stood before the state proud and unwavering.

Perhaps, the truest test of our warrior spirit can be found in the courtroom. Undoubtedly, our movement's defining moment will be how steadfast we stand when facing the full repression of the state.

related/background: [ Prisoner Billy Cottrell Has Now Been Named A POLICE INFORMANT!!!!!!!! | Other articles re. Billy Cottrell on pdx indymedia ]

see also: [ Free 'Free' Now | Earth Liberation Prisoners ]

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Last week the Oregonian ran a cover story about the rash of burglaries plaguing SE Portland. At the time that the story ran, I noticed that the map of the city, which featured orange dots at the sites of recent burglaries, featured no dots within a five-block radius of my house. I had about one week's worth of gloating before, apparently, somebody else also noticed there were no dots in my 'hood, and decided to do something about it.

Yesterday noon, my partner and I stepped out for some errands. We returned about 45 minutes later and brought our groceries inside. A few minutes later I decided to put some items in the freezer in the garage. The doorknob was troublesome(?). I opened the door and noticed the back door open. Whoops, I thought, I left it open earlier. Then I noticed the splintered wood and the garage shelves emptied onto the floor. And the twisted doorknob on the outside of the house door. And the flashlight left on the floor. And my back gate swinging open in the breeze. "Sweetie, we've been robbed," I shouted, "Call the police."

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Circle A Radio collective broadcasts worldwide voices of resistance. We view our work as a tool for organizing, spreading information and providing a structure for complex analysis in order to inspire action. We strive to present information in a historical context drawing from the experiences of political prisoners, the indigenous sovereignty movement, immigrants in the United States, gay, lesbian, bi and transgendered communities, Pan-Africanists, and individuals confronting capitalism, globalization, neo-liberalism, racism, police brutality and all systems of control. We support cultures based on sustainability and mutual aid. We reject the principles of hierarchy and privilege and promote equality.

Circle A Radio, the twice-monthly anarcha-feminist program on KBOO (90.7) has shows archived on PDX IMC!

[ Circle A Radio ] [ portland imc web radio ]

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Around 8:30 this morning, a new silver car smashed into a parked car in front of the Nu-Rite Way Market, on Mississippi Avenue. The Nu-Rite Way market is one of the two minority owned businesses left on Mississippi Avenue, their rent has recently been raised and their business isnt picking up with the new additions to the neighbourhood. I went in there around 9 am and asked what had happened outside.

The proprietors son told me that the silver car, which was still on the road, smashed into a parked car in front of the business, and he heard a loud noise, and looked outside. He assured me that he saw two white people get out of the silver car and run south on Mississippi, towards downtown.

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...story reported Friday evening just before Bernard Kerik withdrew his name as Bush's HLS nominee. Bernard Kerik has been hit by allegations about his connections to the Mafia, as the White House scrambles... --- The company, Interstate Industrial, hired Mr Kerik's close friend Lawrence Ray, the best man at Mr Kerik's wedding, to help with its licensing problems. --- Mr Ray said on Sunday that he gave Mr Kerik more than $US7000 in gifts while he was commissioner of corrections and later of the Police Department. The gifts were first reported in the New York Daily News. --- ...serving as New York City corrections commissioner, Mr Kerik spoke to the city's Trade Waste Commission ***on behalf of that close friend*** who paid him the money who was helping a company suspected of Mob connections try to get a licence from the city,... Mr Kerik and one of the owners of Interstate, Frank DiTommaso, acknowledge they were friends... --- ...[despite the bribe] in January New York City regulators recommended denying the licence, citing what they said were the company's known ties to organised crime known over many years.

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I attended the public workshop put on by the Portland Development Commission's "Burnside Bridgehead" Redevelopment Evaluation Committee Monday night. This two-hour event was an open house, featuring PDC staff and representatives from the three firms offering designs for the project. The "No Big Box Store" theme was running strongly among the citizen attendees, and the Portland Alliance of Worker Collectives (PAWC) issued a statement in favor of the single proposal (by Beam Construction & Management) that doesn't include one.

The room was crowded, with a constant line of newly arrived people at the check-in table the entire time I was there. I was encouraged to see that so many people in the area care about what happens in their city. How seriously the PDC takes citizen input is a question that remains to be answered, of course.

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I had a good time this past Saturday doing a one-santa-action at the new Rapid Cash payday loan and check cashing store at 39th and Powell, former site of Dunkin Donuts. Most Saturdays and Sundays a very obnoxious fuzzy Kangaroo mascot and sign waver ("Payday Loans here!") are posted in front of the store -- that public humiliation/exploitation/advertising annoyance combined with predatory, unjust business practices and a santa suit gathering dust caused me to take action.

Santa's arrival caused the Kangaroo and sign waver to scurry inside to talk to their managers who promptly had them lie low -- I found out later that no pay was docked from them. Support from drivers was fantastic -- nearly every other car gave me a thumbs up, laughing and honking their horn...based upon this reaction, I'd say there's very strong community support for more fair and just alternatives.

another photo

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At 11am, about 200 people gathered in Salem for a rally highlighting fraud and mistakes in the Presidential election. The Electors met at 12pm at a formal process in the state capitol witnessed by about 250 people.

I attended a rally today and spoke on behald of the Pacific Green Party. The crowd was about 100 people when the rally started and grew to about 200 just before noon when we went and witnessed Bill Bradbury oversee the Electoral Process.

There were tons of High School students around the capitol performing a holiday concert in the Rotunda so the place was pretty active. Corporate media was represented by a few radio and TV stations. OPB was there. KBOO too.

[ PHOTOS | AUDIO ]

previous election fraud actions: [ Report-back from "You Stole My Vote" rally (12/12/04) | Report-back from Democracy Is Dying gathering (11/21/04) ]

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Gary Webb, whose work exposed CIA facillitated and protected drug-smuggling, was found dead in his home this Friday morning. His death has been called a suicide, as he apparently died from a gunshot to the head. Given the nature of his most contraversial work, one can forgive this writer for being suspicious as to whether or not Mr. Webb actually took his own life. The CIA, which was deeply embarrassed by Webb's series in the San Jose Mercury News back in 1996 is known for assassinating political opponents. With the Passage of the USA PATRIOT act, the CIA is now able to conduct such dirty business inside our borders.

Regardless of the circumstances of Mr. Webb's death, authentic, muckraking journalism has lost a true champion.

[ Dark Alliance: San Jose Mercury News Exposes CIA Complicity In Crack Epidemic | "Gary Webb Speaks": A Parascope special report | Michael Ruppert pays homage to fallen reporter Gary Webb ]

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It is a harsh and saddening reality to ponder over the oppression and abuse that humyns (sic.) are subjected to by other humyns. Furthermore, humyns seem to not have any qualms about causing suffering towards our fellow animal friends and our only home, our sacred Earth Mother. Just like certain songs portray, as well as being the essential theme behind the star wars movies, there is an element of light in every one of us despite the darkness in our lives. This light burns bright in me and I am so greatful for the love and energy and support that is pulling forth.

Thank you everyone.

At this time what I need from you all is continued support in whatever capacity you are willing and able to contribute.

[ Official Tre Arrow website / legal defense ]

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[This article originally published in: Freitag 49, 11/21/2004 is translated from the German by Marc Batko.] The republican election winners are enjoying their triumph. President George W. Bush consolidates his power. Whoever did not join a hundred-percent in the past four years must leave or voluntarily resign. Absolute loyalty seems to be the main criterion for a post in the second term. Colin Powell is gone. He had at least allowed the illusion to the friends of the US abroad that there was "another" voice in the government. Condoleezza Rice, the former security advisor who sang the loudest Amen in the hymn to the Iraq war, will be his heir. The Washington bulldozer now runs practically without any brakes.

Nostalgia was back in fashion last week when Bill Clinton opened his Presidential Library in the pouring rain in Arkansas. Even George W. Bush came and was full of praise for his predecessor in retirement. Clinton showed his appreciation. Bush was a "good man" like the defeated democratic candidate John Kerry. Kerry and Bush saw the world with different eyes. In Washington, Tom Daschle said goodbye. The leader of the democrats in the Senate defeated in the November 2 election appealed to his party to seek a "common center".

[ more articles/translations posted by Marc Batko to pdx indymedia | Marc Batko translations ]

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